Broken Promises
by Queen of Curses
Summary: (COMPLETED&EDITED) A promise made, a promise broken, a promise fulfilled. Basically highlights the bonds of friendship and love between Riku and Sora.
1. The Past

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Broken Promises

By Queen of Curses

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts and its oh-so-lovable characters.

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Chapter 1 - The Past

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Section 1

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It was the usual warm and sunny day on Destiny Islands. Sora and Riku were walking along the beach, talking of the usual stuff they talk about.

"I finally beat Tidus today!" The 6-year-old brunette exclaimed.

"Good job, Sora! But you'll still never beat me. I'm the best!" The silver-haired 7-year-old bragged. 

"Is that a challenge?" Sora inquired, eyes glowing with excitement for a battle.

"Does it look like it?" Riku said, picking up a stick from the sand. Sora followed suit.

Soon, both were engaged in a playful battle. Sora was doing pretty well, and had already knocked down half of Riku's HP. Meanwhile Riku had that trademark grin plastered onto his face the whole time.

When, Sora thought he had won, with Riku on the ground, he came closer to Riku to announce his victory. But when he came within range, Riku countered by springing himself off the ground with a kick and landing on top of Sora.

"I win." Riku simply said, looking down at the boy beneath him.

"Awww . . . . . . there's always a next time, right? Then, I'm sure I'll win!"

"Dream on!" Riku said, getting off of his best friend and brushing sand off of his pants. Sora outstretched a hand and Riku took it and helped him up.

Soon, they found themselves walking towards their Secret Place. It's been a sort of routine every afternoon to go there just to hang out and talk. When, they got their, Sora asked a very random question.

"Riku, are you my friend?"

"Of course I am, Sora."

"Good." And the brunette went over to hug Riku.

"Why do you ask?" Riku asked, hugging his friend back.

"I don't want to lose you. We never know . . . in the future, we might not be friends anymore."

"Don't think that way, Sora! Remember, I'll always be here for you, I'll protect you, and I will *never* intentionally hurt you, unless we're having our play fights." 

"Promise?" Sora asked, looking up a few inches to meet eyes of sea green, and hugging tighter.

"Promise." Riku said. "And Sora, would you also promise me something?"

"What?"

"Can you promise to never replace me in your life? That I'll always have that special place in your heart?"

"Yeah, I promise." Sora confirmed, smiling. Then, he felt a new presence on his right wrist. There, he found a bead bracelet, with the beads made of sea green stones, matching Riku's eyes. "Riku? This is your special bracelet. I can't take it."

"Go ahead take it. I insist."

"Umm . . . okay." Sora said, examining the bracelet, and then lifting his eyes to look at his friend. "And Riku?"

"Hmm?"

"What does 'insist' mean?"

"Forget about it, Sora. You'll know when we're older."

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Section 2

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It was the usual warm and sunny day on Destiny Islands. A 14-year-old Sora was out looking for a challenge, with Kairi tagging along behind him. Riku was just out, sitting on his paopu tree, thinking. 

But what Riku was actually doing was watching Sora and Kairi without looking obvious. He was known to just stare off into space, into his own little world, so maybe everyone else in this little prison of an island would think he was doing just that.

Little prison of an island . . . . . yes, that was what the Destiny Islands were. No place to go from here, no way of leaving, yes, it was just a prison to 15-year-old Riku.

As he was watching Sora just defeat Wakka, he found himself thinking back into the past. That was because Kairi was congratulating Sora. Sora looked like he was perfectly happy with her and needed no one else.

'I've been replaced.' The silver-haired boy thought to himself, scowling at the thought. He was beginning to hate Kairi more and more, the closer she got to Sora. He jerked his head away from his so-called 'friend' and looked out into the sea.

'I wish I could just get away from here. Anything's better than being in a place where you get ignored by the one person you care about, besides your family.' He thought.

"RIKU!!!" A childish voice behind him yelled.

'Sora.' Riku thought. And sure enough, it was Sora who was calling out his name. Riku was about to start smiling and act all friendly, but he knew that Kairi was with Sora.

"I just beat Wakka!" The hyperactive teen exclaimed.

Riku just stayed silent.

"Umm . . . Riku? Are you all right?" A feminine voice that could only Kairi's asked. 

Riku snickered. 'Yeah, like she cares.' Riku turned around slowly to meet Sora's eyes of sky blue staring at him. Riku felt the urge to smile, but couldn't, not when Kairi was still around. No, he'd never be *truly* happy until Kairi was gone.

"Congratulations, Sora." He finally said, as calmly and as coolly as he could, despite the anger for the bitch that stood next to him.

"Thanks!" Sora said, raising his right arm to give a thumbs up. Riku noticed that the bracelet he gave him was not there. He felt so . . . rejected.

"But I don't think you'll be able to beat me." Riku said, putting his trademark 'Riku' grin. These were one of the few moments that he had every single drop of Sora's attention, and he wasn't going to ruin the moment. 

Both teenagers picked up a stick from the ground and started fighting. After a few seconds, Sora was on the ground, defeated. And Riku was standing above him, feeling superior because he took no damage. He was just too fast for Sora to land a hit.

"I win." Riku simply said, looking down at Sora.

"Awww . . . . . . there's always a next time, right? Then, I'm sure I'll win!"

"Dream on!" Riku said. Sora outstretched his hand to Kairi, and she helped him up.

That was when Riku couldn't handle it anymore. Sora didn't need him. This was the very first time Sora didn't outstretch his hand for him to help him up. Instead, he asked help from *her* who could barely even help him up off the ground.

'I've been replaced.' He thought, and stormed away angrily, knowing the two that he'd left behind didn't even notice his sudden disappearance. 

As Kairi praised Sora to no end, being all flirty all the while, the brunette knew there was something wrong with his friend. He shook it off, but promised to find out what was wrong later.

That night, Riku's mom asked him to cook dinner while she was out with her girlfriends to just talk about what mothers talk about. Riku was in actuality, a very good cook. He could cut up all the vegetables needed for the recipe in less than a minute.

Today was different. Riku took his time cutting up the vegetables. All that time, he was looking at the sharp edge of the knife he was holding. 

Curious, Riku took the knife in his right hand tightly and ran the very tip along his wrist lightly. The result was a thin red line that stood out on his pale skin.

When Riku realized that he liked the stinging sensation and the sight of the crimson liquid of life, he added more cuts and slits to his wrist with the knife. Just as he was about to add the 13th cut, he passed out on the floor of his home.

When he came to, he found himself looking into blue eyes.

"Sora?" Riku asked, weakly smiling.

"Yeah, it's me."

"What happened?"

"I found you on the floor of your home with a pool of blood around you. I think you might have had an accident with the knife. It might have slipped from your hand." Sora said quietly.

Riku looked away, remembering his attempt at suicide. He knew Sora was just playing dumb. Sora *knew* that Riku was bleeding purposely. Besides, *everyone* knew that Riku had the best grip when it comes to knives and cutting.

Riku looked at his surroundings. From what it looked like, he was in his own room and laying down on his bed as Sora was sitting on it. He also looked at his arms. They were all bandaged up. Just like he was reading his mind, Sora answered any questions that Riku had in his head.

"Wakka, Tidus, and I carried you up here. Selphie bandaged up your arms, being the nurse-in-training she is. Kairi . . . well, she just looked on as the rest of us helped you." Sora explained.

'Figures. She doesn't care. Bitch.' Riku thought, still noticing the missing bracelet from Sora's right wrist.

Sora continued with his explanation. "I asked them all to leave me alone with you."

At this comment, Riku lifted his eyes to meet Sora's, which weren't their usual bright color of sky blue, but the color of the ocean during a storm.

Sora suddenly got up off the bed and headed for the door of Riku's room and paused there.

"By the way, your mother isn't here yet."

And with that Sora left. 'Probably off to be with Kairi.' Riku thought sadly.

"I've been replaced." He whispered.


	2. The Present

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Broken Promises

By Queen of Curses

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Disclaimer: You already know nothing belongs to me.

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Chapter 2 - The Present

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Section 1

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Silence. 

That was what the Hallow Bastion Library was like. Complete, utter, deafening, silence.

Sora liked it that way, with nothing and no one to disturb him in his rare moments of deep thought.

To everyone, they saw Sora as the carefree, immature, smiling boy they all knew. But to those who really knew him, Sora was a lot more than that. Beneath his mask of happiness and cheer, he was really sensitive and mature. Riku was one of the few that can see through this 'mask' of his.

'Riku.' Sora thought. 'I know it's not your fault that you've gone all evil, but there must still be this part in you that's good.'

Sora thought back to their most recent fight, which was held a mere 5 minutes ago. Every hit that he landed on his best friend killed Sora little by little. Not physically, but emotionally. All the while, all the cuts and bruises Sora had acquired during the battle just made Riku fight harder.

Sora inhaled deeply as he applied a stinging ointment to one of the more serious cuts on his chest. The results of the magic ointment were amazing. Sora watched as the cut closed up in an instant, leaving a small silver scar. Then, he began to sing softly as he applied more ointment to the other cuts on his chest. The song he sang was the one he and Riku had made up when they were twelve and thirteen.

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You're giving me too many things . . .

You're all I need . . .

You smiled at me and said . . .

"Don't get me wrong I love you,

But does that mean I have to meet your father?"

When we are older you'll understand

What I meant when I said "No,

I don' think life is quite that simple . . ."

When he stopped singing, he pulled his usual hooded sweater back on when, then heard an all-too-familiar taunting voice singing behind him. A voice he used to love . . . but was growing to hate by the minute.

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When you walk away . . .

You don't hear me say please . . .

Oh baby, don't go . . .

Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight . . .

It's hard to let it go . . . 

Sora turned around to see the silver-haired demon that his best friend had turned into. Riku had on a tight-fitting dark blue body suit with a sort of hula skirt. The sign of the Heartless was imprinted on his chest, his hands were blue, his nails were black, and he held the dark Keyblade in his right hand.

"You didn't think your best friend would forget *our* song, right?" Riku said to the silent Sora, in his playful tone. .

"You're not Riku." Sora simply said averting his eyes to the ground. "Therefore, you're *not* my best friend."

At this, Riku scowled. He raised his dark Keyblade and prepared to strike. Sora raised his eyes to meet Riku's, his innocent eyes blinking back tears.

"Go ahead, hit me, you demon. If you really were Riku, you wouldn't dare hurt me." He whispered, almost inaudibly, and the tears came. They flowed like rivers from his blue eyes, down his cheeks, and dropped to the cold floor.

And for a moment, Riku hesitated in attacking, and his evil dark eyes changed to their normal aquamarine hue, revealing weakness, but he regained his composure quickly. But Sora caught that short moment of weakness in this 'demon', and knew that *his* Riku was still in there. 

In anger, Riku tightly held the Dark Keyblade and struck the younger boy, the sharp tip of the Dark Keyblade creating a new cut, this time across Sora's cheek. 

"Riku . . ." Sora whispered, eyes lowered to the floor once again. "You've broken your promise . . ."

Then, he lifted his head just to look up at the 'demon', eyes still producing the salty liquid, and collapsed on the floor. There were many reasons for Sora to pass out. For one, he was still fatigued from his previous battle. Another reason would be because the ointment had side effects. And the last reason would be because Sora was close to having an emotional breakdown. 

As Sora landed on the floor with a dull thud, Riku spotted something fall out of one of his pockets. Curious, Riku came closer to see what had fallen out. What he found instantly shocked him, but he regained his stoic tranquility soon enough.

Standing tall, he conjured a dark blue and purple mist to teleport both him and the bracelet of aquamarine stones he had acquired to his own personal room in the castle.

But before he left, he said a few simple words to the unconscious Sora.

"You've broken yours, as well."

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Section 2

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Everything was gray. His bed was gray, the walls were gray, the ceiling was gray, and even the toilet was gray. That's how Riku's room was; simple, clean, and boring.

Speaking of Riku, he was lying on his back on his gray bed, his clothes clashing with the rest of the room, looking up at the gray ceiling. Unlike Sora, he was known to drift off into his own little world of deep thoughts. Right now, his thoughts drifted to a certain brunette boy.

'Sora . . .' he thought, fingering the bracelet in his left hand.

'I thought you never cared, 

And forgot our little song,

But with this little bracelet,

I guess you proved me wrong.'

And Riku smiled sadly at his short poem. He then got up to a sitting position and looked at the bracelet closely. All those long years ago, he made this bracelet. Then, he gave it to Sora as a sign of friendship.

"What happened to our friendship?" Riku asked to no one in particular.

He spread the aquamarine beads out to examine the condition of the thread that held them together, and sighed. He remembered just faintly how he had made the thread and beads when he was around 5 years old. And Riku sighed once again, closing his eyes, and tried as best as he can to bring back the memories. 

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*FLASHBACK*

"Riku!!! Wook at these!!!" A young, active voice yelled from the shoreline.

"I'll be there in a minute, Sora!" Riku yelled back, finishing his spar with Tidus. After gaining the experience, and not paying attention to the words of defeat from the blonde boy, he ran over to what his best friend wanted him to see.

"Wook at these!" Sora repeated, referring to the stones or different shades and hues of blue in his hands.

"Wow." Riku said childishly. "They're really pwetty."

"You can have some, Riku. These are for me, while that pile in the sand is for you." The 4-year-old said happily, pointing to the spot in the sand where a pile of aquamarine and sea green stones was.

"Thanks, Sora. You really are a good fweind." The silver-haired boy said. Even at such a young age, his hair was still a brilliant silver color. The young 5-year-old Riku walked over to the pile and scooped it up in his hands.

"So . . . what are you going to do with the stones?" Sora asked, being curious.

"Hmm . . . I'm not sure yet. Maybe I'll make some jewelry like my mommy does!"

"That cool!"

"What are you doing with yours?"

"Hmm . . . I'm gonna make a scary mask with these and some wood to scare Selphie!"

"That's a good idea! I need to work on these now, so I have to go. Bye Sora!"

"Okay! Bye Riku!"

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*END FLASHBACK*

Riku then left Memory Lane and eyed the bracelet. He remembered how he had braided thin pieces of seaweed to make the thread and how he had carefully used a pocketknife to shape the stones into beads and drill a hole through them. And the result was a beautiful memento that reminded him of his childhood when it was just he, Sora, Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie.

Then along came Kairi. She changed everything. She stole Sora. She stole his place on the islands. Ever since she came, Riku felt like an outcast. So he would just sit on the paopu tree like the outcast he thought he was. No one but Sora and the "Optimistic Bitch" dared to bother him in his moments of peace, looking out into the ocean.

'Optimistic Bitch . . .' Riku thought, snickering at the nickname he had given Kairi. Of course, he had never called her that straight to her face. But once he did tell Sora. He was 13 while Sora was 12.

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*FLASHBACK*

"Hey Riku." Sora said, approaching the older boy who was sitting on the paopu tree.

"Hey, Sora. What are you doing out this late at night?" Riku said, sounding worried.

"I came out to speak to you." 

"Really?" Riku asked, disbelieving. Sora and him never had a *real* conversation ever since Kairi had come along. Plus, Riku smiled the way he did only when him and Sora were alone.

"Do you hate Kairi?" Sora asked, voice suddenly becoming serious. Riku turned away from Sora and looked to the ground.

'So this is the only reason he wanted to talk to me . . .' Riku thought sadly, ' . . . to talk about Kari . . .'

"Yes." Riku said confidently, suddenly turning around to look Sora in the eye.

"Why?" Sora innocently asked. That was when something snapped in Riku's head.

"WHY?! You're asking me WHY I hate Kairi?!" Riku shouted. Sora merely nodded, starting to inch away from Riku, in fear of what he might do in such a state of mental health.

"You know what, Sora?" Riku asked, grabbing Sora by his shirt. "You DO NOT want to know." The younger boy just stayed silent as Riku dropped him to the ground.

"She's not that bad. She's pretty nice if you just give her a chance . . ." Sora started.

"A chance? That optimistic bitch doesn't deserve a freakin' chance, Sora!" Riku yelled, not caring if he woke up every single one of the islanders.

"D-d-don't call her that." Sora stuttered in a defense for the redheaded girl. With these few simple words, Riku's spirit and motivation to argue were broken.

'He's actually defending her . . .' Riku thought to himself, still in a state of shock.

"If you don't like her, that's okay with me. Just don't act so mean when she's around." And with that, Sora left, leaving Riku alone on the paopu tree in the light of the full moon.

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*END FLASHBACK*

And for the first time in many years, something in Riku's head snapped. He grabbed the Dark Keyblade from where in was, and started destroying everything in sight, whilst thinking deep and heavy thoughts.

'Stupid bitch . . . she 's the one who started all of this!' 

There goes the gray bed.

'Even if I *do* renew my friendship with Sora and everyone else on the island . . . IT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!'

There goes the gray bookcase.

'I HATE HER!'

There goes the gray desk.

'I ABHOR HER!'

There goes the gray toilet.

'I DETEST HER!'

There go the rest of the things in the room that were gray.

"I loathe her because . . . . . . b-b-because . . . . I love . . . . I love Sora . . . ."

And Riku collapsed on the gray floor of his room, sobbing, crying, screaming, and to summarize it all up: Riku was having a mental breakdown.

"SSSSSSSSOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!" He suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly, an orange and red mist floated into his gray room. Just by the colors, Riku knew it was Ansem.

"Maleficent sent me to check on you. She said she heard crashes and screaming." Ansem stated. At Riku's silence he tried again to start up a conversation.

"My boy, what's wrong? You look a little . . . down." He commented, chuckling at his own words. Riku just ignored the man and stayed on the floor where he was.

"Ignoring me, are you?" The older man asked, orange eyes almost glowing in the dimness of the room.

"Go away and leave me to drown in my pool of misery . . ." Riku mumbled from where he lay, his words a bit muffled from the gray carpeting.

"Don't think so negatively, Riku. What wrong? I'm always here to help." Ansem said, sounding like Riku's mother.

"Bite me." Riku said in a dangerous tone. He got up from the floor and walked over to his personal bathroom, finding that the area where the toilet used to be was leaking some water. He went over to the gray marble sink and turned on the cold water. With the water, he cleansed his face of the tearstains and the dirt that was picked up from the carpet.

"Gladly." Ansem calmly said. Riku noticed by looking into the semi-fogged mirror, that the taller man had entered the bathroom.

"Leave." Riku said, glaring into Ansem's reflection in the mirror. "Now."

"Getting demanding, are we?" The older man said, his voice not serious at all, but playful. He moved behind the younger boy and started massaging his shoulders.

"Don't touch me." Riku said flatly. He knew Ansem had wanted him ever since they first met. He knew Ansem would do anything to make him his. He could tell because the older man had been flirting with him like it went out of style.

"You need the relaxation." Ansem's seductive voice purred out, as he still massaged Riku's shoulders, then moved on to his back. Riku just stayed silent, staring into the mirror.

"You know what, Riku? I lo--" 

Before he ever got to finish his sentence, he found himself on the floor with a bloody nose. He got up to see Riku glaring.

"You *don't* *want* to finish that sentence." The young boy growled. Ansem just sighed.

'Oh, well, I tried.' The man thought to himself, casting a simple Cure spell to take care of the nosebleed.

"I must get back to my home, The End of the World." Ansem said, turning to leave. "Visit me one time." At this, Riku just snarled.

Ansem then conjured up some orange and red mist, and he was gone. But before the mist subsided, Riku heard his voice saying one last thing.

"My dear Riku, that Sora boy doesn't deserve your love."

Riku just snickered.

"Bastard . . ." 

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Section 3

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As the Doors of Kingdom Hearts began to fully close up, Riku said his goodbye with a simple statement.

"Take care of her." 

'She's the only one left.' Riku thought sadly. He didn't know how long till the next time they would see each other. The whereabouts of Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, and their parents were unknown. So Kairi was really the only one to take care of Sora, and Sora was the only one left to take care of her. Riku may have hated Kairi with every bit in him, but he knew Sora cared for her, and he was agreeable to accept that.

And Sora just nodded and kept on pushing the door close with Donald and Goofy while Riku was pulling from the inside.

'If the bitch keeps him content, then I'm willing to at least be this nice.' Riku thought to himself.

'Sora's my everything, and I'd do anything for him . . . even if that means giving up on my love for him . . .'

'Kairi may not be the best match for him, but as long as he's happy, I really don't give a damn.'

And finally, the white, stained-glass doors of Kingdom Hearts closed. He then felt the energy that his Keyblade was radiating to seal the door. King Mickey, who was behind him, also used his Keyblade to seal the door.

When the door was fully sealed, he closed his eyes. He then placed one hand over his heart. 

'You'll always be in here, Sora.' He thought.

Then he gripped the demon sword in his hand tightly, and opened his eyes, knowing what was to come next.

"C'mon Riku! Let's take on the Heartless and show them what the power of light can do!" King Mickey exclaimed.

The teen turned around to face the King and nodded. Then, he charged towards the nearest huge cluster of Heartless, ready to gain some serious experience points.

"This is for you, Sora." He whispered.


	3. The Future

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Broken Promises

By Queen of Curses

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Rayne, my original character, who's featured in this fic. Don't steal him.

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Chapter 3 - The Future

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Section 1

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I sighed as I entered the Inn. My Keyblade and I were dripping wet from the sudden rainstorm outside.

About the rainstorm, it just suddenly happened. I lost Donald and Goofy as I ran, searching for any type of shelter in this small town. And that's how I ended up here, at the Hexen Inn.

I looked around, hoping to find someone who could help me. Surprisingly, the Inn was quite empty. Seeing a young blonde at a counter, I walked over and started up a conversation.

"Umm . . . hey. The name's Sora. Do you have an available room here?" I asked, using my fake perky voice. I don't know why I still talk so optimistically, though I hold many sorrows inside.

Many think I'm so innocent and playful, which I sometimes can be, but that's only what I show to the outside world. Inside, it's a whole different story. I'm much more sensitive and mature than many would guess. Riku is really the only one who truly understands me . . .

The blonde boy, who didn't look much older than seventeen, looked up from the book he was reading and smiled warmly. "Oh, hello. My name is Rayne. Welcome to the Hexen Inn. And yes, we do have a vacant room here. Only 100 munny a night, but for you, I'll lower it to 50."

I just blinked. Is he . . . flirting with me? I just shook the thought away and took out my leather satchel of munny. After I handed the gold pieces to him, he made eye contact with me, and it was then that I realized that his eyes were much different from everyone else I knew. His right one was green, while his left was violet.

"Your room number is 22. 2nd floor, first door to your left." He gave me another warm smile as he gave me a key. "Breakfast is at 8:00 AM sharp, so be ready by then." And Rayne then pointed to a closed door to his right. "And that is the dining room where all our meals are held."

"Thanks." And I ran off for the stairs to the second floor.

"Sora!" He called. I turned around. "Good night and sweet dreams!" And he actually winked at me.

"Yeah . . . you too!" I replied, making my way up to my room with haste. That Rayne guy is pretty disturbing.

When I entered my room, I flicked the switch to turn the lights on and I saw that it wasn't that bad. There was a bedroom with a queen-sized bed, a desk, three lamps, a reading chair, and a TV. I entered what seemed to be the bathroom and flicked the switch there to see it better. There was a bathtub, a shower, a toilet, and a sink. There was also a cabinet full of towels, shampoos, conditioners, soaps, lotions, body oils, and . . . er . . . lubricant?

Yes, that Rayne guy is very disturbing. He must also be the owner of this Inn. 

I turned the lights off in the bathroom and entered the bedroom once again. There, I just collapsed on the bed, but not before laying my Ultima Weapon Keyblade carefully on the reading chair.

Oh, what a night. I thought I would feel better tomorrow, so I drifted off to sleep. 

The next morning, I was awakened by the digital alarm clock on the bedside table, which was flashing 7:00 AM in bright red digits.

Yawning, I got up and prepared for a nice, hot shower. Stripping myself of my clothes after I entered the bathroom, I grabbed some shampoo and soap and got into the shower compartment and turned the hot water on.

Half an hour later, I got out of the bathroom, clothed only in a towel, and steam pouring out of the room like liquid. It was then did I notice that a bunch of clothes were near my Keyblade. On top of the folded clothes was a note.

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Dear Sora,

I noticed that you didn't have any bags with you when you checked in. I bought some clothes for you from the nearest store. I hope they fit you.

Sincerely, Rayne

P.S. Don't worry about paying me back. It's a pleasure keeping my customers happy.

Slipping off the white cotton towel, I tried the clothes on. First I put on the black silk boxers, which must have cost a lot. Then, I put on the leather pants, which looked incredibly tight, but were actually very comfy. I also put on a long-sleeved yellow shirt and a silvery-gray vest. And to finish the outfit, I wore my usual white ankle socks and the yellow shoes I always wear that seem too big for me. It was just plain amazing how Rayne knew what clothes would fit me perfectly.

Thinking that nothing would happen at breakfast, I left my Keyblade, my only means of defense, in my Inn room. Man, was I wrong.

Seating myself at a table in the dining room, I scanned my surroundings. The room was totally empty of people except for a large man, another person dressed in a black robe-thing, and myself.

The large man looked very suspicious. I think _all_ bald men are suspicious, though. His beady black eyes moved about rapidly, focusing on everything in the room besides the cloaked figure and me. This large man also carried a gun. I'm starting to get scared . . .

About the cloaked figure . . . the demon sword that he had been grasping the whole time looked very familiar, thought I cannot quite grasp the memory of where I have seen it before. The face was blacked out by the shadow of the hood of the robe that he or she wore. You couldn't even tell what gender this person was, but I'm pretty sure it's a male.

Two complete strangers. Both very suspicious. Both very dangerous looking. If both got into a fight with the other, I wouldn't want to get caught in the middle. Unfortunately, I was. The large bald man, who I like referring to as 'Behemoth', was seated two chairs away from me, while the cloaked figure, who I like referring to as 'Enigma', was seated at the other table.

Minutes passed by, and Rayne rushed in, carrying trays of food. As he placed a platter of food and a glass of drink in front of each of us, he quickly said something I couldn't interpret and left.

"Huh?" I managed to say, breaking the silence between the three of us.

"He said: 'I'm sorry, but I have to leave as soon as possible. Be back at noon. Oh, and Sora, you look sexy in those clothes.'." Behemoth said in a deep voice, almost like a growl. "I take it that your name is Sora." I just nodded. 

Before I knew what was going on, I found his gun pointed straight at me. "Say goodbye, Keyblade master."

'Damn, damn, damn . . .' I kept thinking to myself, the word becoming a sort of mantra. 'Why didn't I bring along Ultima Weapon? How could I be so _stupid_?'

I hear the rustle of cloth from the other side of me. Not wanting to risk anything, I held back my curiosity and didn't turn my head to see what it was.

"Outta the way!" Behemoth growled. It was then that I realized that Enigma was standing right in front of me, stopping Behemoth from getting a clear shot. 

Enigma raised his demon sword high, as if to strike, but Behemoth shot at the sword, sending it flying across the room.

"What ya gonna do now? You're defenseless without your only weapon!" Behemoth said in a taunting voice.

"Who said that was my only weapon?" The voice under the hood said. I knew that voice, but I just couldn't place whom the voice belonged to. Anyways, Enigma reached from behind him, and if by magic, conjured two identical weapons. I'm pretty sure they were swords--no--Keyblades? Twin Keyblades? Double Keyblades? This is messed up . . .

Closing my eyes, not wanting to see any violence, I just sat there in my seat, trying to block out the agonizing screams of Behemoth. When, I cracked my eyes open, I regretted ever opening them. On the floor was the bodiless head of Behemoth, and on the chair was the headless body.

"You're safe now. Are you okay, Sora?" Enigma asked, making the Twin Keyblades, which had the same keychain of a cross, disappear into thin air. Then, I finally knew where I've heard the voice before. 

And for the first time in a whole year, every single pain and sorrow escaped my heart, and was replaced by happiness, delight, and love. 

That's when Enigma then pulled back his black hood to reveal who I expected him to be. 

Riku.

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****

Section 2

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'God, he's beautiful.' I thought to myself. Out of pure joy, I embraced Sora tightly into my arms, not wanting to let go, fearing I would lose him once again. Sadly, the hug had to end, for there was much to tell him.

"Riku! What are you doing here?" He asked me, a beautiful smile gracing his lips.

"I came here to find you, Sora. There are important things I have to talk to you about." I simply stated.

"Sora!!!" Two voices said from behind us shouted.

"Hey! Donald! Goofy!" My best friend, and possibly future lover, exclaimed.

"We were looking all over for you!" The bird said in a strange voice. I just stepped away from the three, letting them carry on a conversation.

"Gawrsh, Donald, it's . . ." And the dog-like character looked around as if making sure no one was listening, "Riku!"

"What?! Where? When I get my hands on him . . ." The duck started.

"You know," I said sarcastically, "I can hear you two." Donald practically jumped out of his feathers.

"Hey, guys, it's okay. Riku's my friend. And he's not evil anymore. Even if he is, he's still my best friend, and nothing can change that." Sora said.

I smiled inwardly at his defense for me.

"Alright, alright. But are you sure we can trust him?" Donald asked in a loud whisper.

"I'm still here, you know." I playfully said. "So don't talk like I can't hear you."

"Yes, Donald, we can trust him." Sora said, turning to me. "Riku, you said that you had something important to tell me."

"Yeah," I replied. "You all better sit down. This might take a while." And so all three of them took a seat at a table far from where the dead big guy was.

I sat down, trying to make myself comfortable and took a good look at my audience. Sora was just sitting there, looking at me intently with his large eyes, which were the color of the ocean, always changing. The one called Donald was just glaring at his companion, Goofy, who was munching away on some cereal. I then coughed, trying to get some attention, and then I breathed in and out deeply a few times.

"A new darkness has arisen," I explained. "Much more powerful than the one we had encountered before." Gasps were heard at the table.

"A new door has opened, and has to be sealed in a matter of three weeks." I continued. " I know not its name, but I do know that is the sister door to Kingdom Hearts', but it's not made of light, but of darkness.

"There is a powerful dark presence located near the door, who has servants working day and night on powerful spells to open the door. Opening the door releases all the darkness, creating a sort of black hole, which will eventually suck up every single drop of light in all worlds. The dark hole cannot be stopped once it has been released.

"In exactly three weeks, the servants of this dark presence will have completed the ultimate magic spell, thus forcing the door to open. King Mickey tells me that only the power of the eight Keyblades combined will be able to the seal the door tight."

"Eight Keyblades?!?" Donald interrupted. I closed my eyes.

"_Such a power held, within the Keyblades eight,_

For they can control, every worlds' fate,

Seven are their masters, who wield their very might,

And use their powers not for darkness, but for the good of light." 

I opened my eyes after reciting the little poem. I was so bored on my long journey here by gummi ship, I actually wrote that while waiting. (Note to self: Next time, ride on a gummi ship with warp drive.)

The one called Goofy started counting on his fingers. "Hey, wait a minute . . . if there are eight Keyblades, how are there only seven Keyblade masters?" The dog asked me.

"This is how." I said, using some of my magic to summon my Twin Keyblades.

"After I was trapped in Kingdom Hearts, I had to do a lot of fighting." I explained. 

"During the middle of some butt kicking, the Dark Keyblade that Maleficent gave me split into two. A minute after that, King Mickey tossed me a pair of identical keychains, both in the form of crosses. That's how I ended up with these babies." And I just grinned out of pride. 

"I think I'm the only Keyblade Master with two . . ." I mused.

"Other Keyblade Masters . . . who are the others?" Sora quietly said. It was then that I realized he hadn't spoken or made a comment throughout my whole explanation.

"The others . . . I haven't found them yet. King Mickey, you, and I have four out of the eight Keyblades. I have yet to find the others. It may take a while, but saving the universe is worth it, don't you think, Sora?" I said, earning myself one of his cute smiles.

"My directions are to locate each of the others, tell them what I've just told you, and tell them to take a gummi ship to a world called Ecstasy. That's where we'll all meet, and together, we'll travel to the door of darkness and seal it for good." I explained further.

The three companions just nodded. 

"What about that man who tried to kill me?" Inquired Sora, motioning his head towards the body on the floor.

"Just a servant of whoever's trying to open up the door." I said. "You better be more careful next time you're in a public place. And for protection, I suggest you bring your Keyblade with you wherever you go." I said. He just nodded as a response.

"I hate to be leaving so soon, but I have to find the others before it's too late." I said sadly. "Yeah, it's a huge universe out there, and I have to find four special people out of it."

"I understand." Sora said. "You can go get the gummi ship ready, Donald and Goofy. I'd like to have a few moments alone with Riku." And the duck and the dog were off.

Sora turned to me. Before I knew it, he almost knocked me down, trying to hug me. I just hugged back. I missed him. As we parted, I drew him close again, pressing my lips against his, this now officially being our first shared kiss. And that was when I realized he was crying. I just held him.

I let go of Sora after a while, knowing he and I had to go. But before he ran off to go with his companions, I just placed something in his right hand and told him not to open his closed fist until he was on the gummi ship.

I knew exactly what I had put in his right hand. It was my bracelet . . . my bracelet of sea stones . . .

And along with the bracelet, there was a note. And I could still remember the words I wrote clearly in green ink. That's when I began to cry, right there in the dining room of Hexen Inn.

__

I know I broke my promise . . . the one I made when we were young. There's no way to take back what I did, for we cannot change the past. Though we cannot change the past, we can ready ourselves for the future. And that's why I'm renewing my promise, and adding one more, to ensure a happy future in our relationship.

Sora, I'll always be here for you, I'll protect you, and I'll never hurt you. I promise that. Even though we may not always be close to each other physically, I'll always be with you in your heart, as you will be in mine.

And Sora, I'll love you longer than forever. Never forget that, because I'll love you longer than forever no matter what you say or do.

I promise.


End file.
